Could an Organic Waste Ban be The Answer to Ontario’s Landfill Problem?
Before the year 2040, Ontario’s landfill could good and well run out of capacity. Reports have proven that each year the province has approximately 12 million tons of waste that is generated, with only about a quarter of that being recycled. If we were to break that amount down, it would equal to more than 850 kilograms of waste per person.
It is clear, that past initiatives have not worked in terms of diverting waste. In 2004 plans were to be made to reduce our waste from 60% through different recycling and compost programs. However, nothing has changed 13 years later and we are still throwing out as much waste now as we did back then.
That is why the Ontario government is now starting to rethink their strategies and are considering as of next year, a ban against organic waste being sent to our landfills.
The good thing is that residential households have been able to reduce their waste by about 50%. Even though most of the bigger municipalities currently have green waste bin programs in place, not all residents are aware on how to use them and therefore a lot of things are still being thrown into them that shouldn’t be. If more people were further educated on this then imagine how much further we can reduce our waste. During recent audits, it was discovered that up to 40% of garbage bin trash should have actually been placed in the green bins instead. Kingston is the only municipality thus far to have the green bin program spread to also condos and apartments, and even then, it is not mandated by law for residents to use them.
As strange as it is, other municipalities have yard and leaf waste management programs, if population is greater than 50,000, however, they still do not have the same requirements for green bin programs.
The bad thing is that the commercial and industrial sector are still lacking in their waste reduction efforts with only a 25% improvement being shown. It is up to Canadians to want to have a better and healthier planet for themselves and future generations to come. As an example, and a benchmark in organic waste, Nova Scotia has had an organic ban in place for more than 20 years. Metro Vancouver, while not its own province, also has an organic ban that has recently been put in place. They have managed to divert approximately 60,000 tons of waste from their landfills, in just the first year alone.
There are many companies and organizations that are getting on board with things and are truly trying to make a change. Second Harvest is a food bank that is known to receive mislabeled or short shelf life items from other stores and manufacturers and then in return give them to those in need or with other food bank agencies. Retail grocery stores are also making a change. They are starting to sell their less desirable looking foods at a discounted price so that customers will be more willing to buy and will think twice before throwing food out.
